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Friday, May 22, 2015

Claritn and Minocycline - a dark side: odds and ends.

I have been excessively preoccupied with matters discussed below. I do not want to neglect my BLOG entirely. Here are a few odds and ends I have been thinking about lately.



CLARITIN FOR LYME

You cannot take Claritin to kill Lyme.  It has been shown that desloradine, a metabolite of Claritin inhibits the absorption of manganese through the cell membrane of the spirochete. Manganese is used by Lyme bacteria to generate energy in lieu of the iron used by most organisms.  In a test tube it works! We have what is called “proof of concept.” Unfortunately the minimum dose of Claritin needed to accomplish this goal is 40 tablets which no one is recommending. Still, it provides a direction for further work. 

MAST CELLS

Why do I recommend Claritin? Although Claritin is a weak antihistamine, it helps inhibit mast cell activation. Whereas Dr. Afrin recommends a slow process of therapy to treat MCAD, mast cell activation disorder, I favor more of a shotgun approach, beginning with numerous agents. My patients are too sick to wait for the slow approach. My patients seem to have something different: a hybrid of chronic infection and excessive mast cell activation  These drugs are nontoxic and can always be reduced one at a time when patients improve.  The more I have used the therapy the more I have been impressed by its efficacy.  (Lists of agents are available elsewhere: also consider doxepin for sleep in lieu of trazodone; very potent antihistaminic effects and possible mast cell effects as well). I do prescribe a lot of Claritin but not to kill Lyme per se. 

Mast cells may be the overlooked step child of the immune system. They are everywhere and in close proximity to blood vessels. There are omnipresent and heterogeneous. They serve many functions. For example, the glial-mast cell connection or dialogue. The naturally occurring agent palmitoethylanolamide may be helpful based on recent studies. 



ABOUT MINOCYCLINE

More about neuroinflammation. Inflammation is a catch all term. Lyme is a disease of inflammation which translates into some sort of activity of the immune system. Inflammation is not a bad thing in and of itself. Inflammation is needed to fight off infection and for normal “housekeeping” functions of the immune system. It is when inflammation is out of control, like a runaway train that we get into trouble. As a general rule, inflammation can be chronic or acute. Chronic is never good. 

The brain is not quite the immune privileged area I have referenced in the past. Glial cells in the brain comprise the resident immune system and they are quite active. Drugs that reduce neuroinflammation and suppress glial cells should be good, right. Not necessarily.  Minocycline is touted as having anti-inflammatory effects in the brain. It is an active glial cell inhibitor. Minocycline was studied in patients with ALS. Surprise: patients got worse, significantly so. Glial cell activation is a normal, necessary function. In this case, perhaps changing only one side of the equation caused harm, not good. Care should likely be taken when minocycline is prescribed for long periods of time.

Doxycycline may be different. It may reduce brain inflammation also by a reduction of MMP-3 reducing apoptotic effects. (Cell death) and also have an effect on glial cell activation. As with my experience, the effects of two drugs can be quite different. Although minocycline crosses the BBB better than doxycycycline, I have always found that doxy is the more effective drug. Molecular mechanisms are being worked at by scientist as we speak (and also over my head). As clinicians we need to be mindful or potential distinctions amongst drugs of the same class. 

Treatment of excitotoxicity on the other hand appears to always be a good thing, with drugs such as Lamactal and Namenda.  Rocephin treats excitotocity so it should not make neuroinflammatory disease worse. 

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Please read: I need your help.

I have been writing this BLOG since 2008. It has been widely read with over 1.2 million page views. I hope it has been helpful.

I have intentionally tried to keep this BLOG non-political. But alas, Lyme is a political disease and this is an inescapable fact.

I am in trouble now and asking for help.

I have been investigated by the medical Board 3 times since 2008. The first two investigations were dropped. I am no longer under investigation; I have been charged by the Medical Board of Maryland with serious violations.

The last investigation was initiated by a complaint from a major insurance company with which I previously participated with, 3 years ago.

A number of patient charts were reviewed and sent to "peer review." My reviewers were IDSA infectious disease doctors. One of the reviewers is a well known Johns Hopkins faculty member -- well known to be on a mission to stamp out doctors such as myself.

I am charged with violating the standard of care for each of 6 patient charts evaluated. In the charges ILADS' views are entirely nullified; the standard of care  is solely based on IDSA guidelines.

The charges against me are serious.  I face prosecution by the Attorney General's office of the State of Maryland at the behest of the Medical Board. The Board has informed me that the charges are public; the details are available for anyone to read.

The penalties may be wide ranging and may include suspension of my license to practice medicine.

I am asking that current patients and former patients of mine to write me a letter of support describing their experiences with the medical system and their experiences with care I provided for them.  For now only send these letters to me, by email or snail mail.

Thank you for your support.

Daniel Jaller, M.D.
15245 Shady Grove Road
Suite 315
Rockville, MD   20850

Paradigmmedicine@ gmail.com

Daniel Jaller, aka Lymemd.